NewJeans, Gong Yoo, and Son Heung-min All Ranked No. 1 in Korea’s Favorite Advertising Models Survey!
On December 18, the Korea Broadcast Advertising Corporation (KOBACO) released the results of a survey conducted among 2,000 consumers on their favorite celebrities featured in television and advertisements this year. The survey revealed generational preferences for advertising models.
Teenagers chose NewJeans as their favorite, while those in their 20s, 30s, and 50s preferred Yoo Jae-suk. The 40s demographic favored Gong Yoo and IU, and those in their 60s selected Son Heung-min as the most preferred advertising model. Despite the growing trend of watching content on YouTube rather than traditional TV, Yoo Jae-suk was ranked as the celebrity viewers most want to watch live on broadcast. Following him were Baek Jong-won, CEO of The Born Korea, broadcaster Jeon Hyun-moo, and webtoon artist Kian84.
For entertainers people most want to see in 2025, Yoo Jae-suk once again took the top spot. Actress Kim Tae-ri was chosen as the most anticipated actor for next year. Kim Tae-ri was praised for her outstanding performance in tvN’s 'Jung-Nyeon' this year, where her acting made her look like a real sorikkun (traditional Korean singer).
Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won, who starred in tvN’s 'The Queen of Tears', were selected as this year’s most beloved actors.
Meanwhile, Son Heung-min was named the "Athlete Who Will Shine in 2024" for the eighth consecutive year. On December 16, polling company Gallup Korea announced the results of its survey conducted from November 11 to 25 on "Athletes Who Shone in Korea This Year." Son topped the list with an overwhelming 70.7% of the votes. The survey allowed respondents to freely name two athletes.
Son first claimed the top spot in 2017 and has maintained his position every year since. He has consistently scored double-digit goals in each season of the English Premier League (EPL) since the 2016-17 season.
Though his scoring pace has slowed this season due to injuries, Son demonstrated his resilience with a goal against Southampton on December 16 (Korean time). He also broke the record for the most assists in Tottenham’s EPL history (68 assists) during the same match, solidifying his contribution to the team.